Doha: Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) H E Dr. Salim bin Mohammed Al Malik affirmed that the contributions of Qatar to ICESCO programmes are honourable and important to the organisation and the public administration.
He added that the cooperation between ICESCO and the Qatar National Commission for Education, Culture and Science (QNCECS) was and remains fruitful. He valued the cooperation with Qatar and the success of the celebration programs in Doha, the capital of culture in the Islamic world 2021, in highlighting Doha as a civilisational and cultural landmark.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Dr. Al Malik said that ICESCO launched many initiatives and programs, organising annually a large group of diverse and different activities, whether in Qatar or with its support in other countries, with the participation of Qatari experts and competencies. This confirms Qatar’s contributions are honourable and important to the organisation.
Regarding future cultural cooperation between ICESCO and Qatar, the ISESCO Director-General said that the organisation is keen to strengthen cooperation with member states, identify the priorities and needs of each country, and build plans for programmes and activities appropriate for each country. This highlights ICESCO’s keenness to have a distinguished partnership with the State of Qatar, he added.
During his current visit to Doha, he met Minister of Culture H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani, where they discussed the study of cultural policies, the valuation and registration of heritage on the ICESCO list, and training some young men and women on heritage preservation and registration. They also discussed the fields of literature and thought, indicating that these discussions will turn into projects, work programmes, and cooperation between Qatar and ICESCO.
Director-General met with Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, where they discussed developing and enhancing cooperation and partnership between the two sides by exchanging experiences in the education and scientific research fields between the countries of the Islamic world, he said. He also met Qatar Charity’s Chief Executive Officer Yousef bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, where there will be great cooperation from the Qatari side in adopting the initiatives that ICESCO will launch during 2022.
Regarding his evaluation of the activities that were implemented during Doha, Capital of Culture in the Islamic World, Dr. Al Malik said that the activities, which continued throughout the year, witnessed a diverse cultural movement, despite the exceptional circumstances imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said that the organization was keen from the beginning to hold coordination meetings via video conference technology with the organizing committee to discuss the arrangements for the draft general programme of the celebration and the most important proposed stations.
Dr. Al Malik pointed to the interest in space science as one of the most important future sciences, as recent studies have shown that what is spent on space industries annually exceeds $300bn, and it is expected that the investment will rise in 2040 to $3 trillion. There are only less than 20 member states of the organization that have investments in space sciences, which will create a huge gap for some countries to enter into space illiteracy, he added.
Concerning the organisation’s interest in encouraging scientists in the Islamic world to create a treatment for the Coronavirus, Dr. Al Malik said that since the beginning of the pandemic, the organisation has announced a prize of $200,000 to whoever creates an effective treatment or a protective vaccine.
